the pause that refreshes
I got about 90% of my Xmas shopping done yesterday: aren't you proud? I think I was overestimating the enormity of the task. I spent about an hour each at Borders and Marshall Fields and decided that I had accomplished quite enough for one day. Monday I'm taking a half day to finish shopping at a big, suburban mall (which is quite the exotic treat for us city dwellers) with my sister-in-law. As she puts it, “we’ll bat clean-up.”
When you buy a lot of books for people, though, your shopping bags are damn heavy. After tromping around in the slush with the big heavy bags, I suddenly gave up on my trek back to the subway and hailed a cab. I don't know why some dim Puritan part of my brain considers cabs such a luxury anyway. Sometimes, such as subzero days with hundred-pound shopping bags and clueless tourists clogging the El, they're the only way to travel.
Today's only a half day as well, because of a company holiday party. For Pete's sake, am I going to work in December at all? Not that it bothers me. I'll get a nice nap before starting on tonight's drinking. I'm meeting my friend Iris, the wafer-thin ballerina who smokes like a chimney. Bad for me, because after 3 beers the old habits come creeping back and those cancer sticks start to look like a delicious treat.
—mimi “Surf me a coffin nail” smartypants